Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ♚♚½
Pages: 256
Published by Albert Whitman Teen on March 1, 2014
Amazon | B&N
All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.
Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?
NOTE: I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's extremely difficult for me to review this book for two reasons: one, I enjoyed this, but there were problems, and two, I'm a critical reader, and that plays a huge role in my overall rating of a particular book. On one hand, I had fun reading this book, and it was an enjoyable read, but on the other hand, there were multiple things that annoyed me about The Summer I Found You, making me not want to give it a higher rating than two and a half stars.
The first thing I need to get of my chest: Is Aidan's name spelled Aidan or Aiden? Throughout the book, there were constant mishaps where both spellings of the name were used. This really irritates me. I think an author should know the name that they chose for their character, especially if said character is the first thing mentioned in the acknowledgments at the end of the book. Also, the overall grammar in this book was just downright bad. Not unbearable, but not good. I understand that this is an ARC, but I haven't read an ARC yet with so many grammatical errors as this one.
But even though the grammar was bad and the author couldn't decide what way to spell her love interest's name, I thought the book was fun and easy to read. At the time, I was simply looking for something cute and light, and this book is definitely that. This is where my next problem comes in.
This book isn't supposed to be cute and light. The Summer I Found You is dealing with a wounded veteran who lost a limb and a girl who's suffering from a breakup and diabetes. (Is it just me, but don't you think Aidan's circumstances are just a little bit more severe than Kate's? The only reason diabetes is a big deal for Kate is because she never keeps track of her carb intake, and she doesn't take her shots like she's supposed to! And everyone gets dumped. Kate should get used to that if she's only seventeen.) There are some serious issues being dealt with in this book, I think, and in my opinion, The Summer I Found You just sort of glazed over them.
The characters weren't amazing, but they were normal. They're what one expects from a contemporary novel, to be honest. Kate and Aidan aren't exceptional or anything, but they're entertaining. The thing with those two is that they're okay as separate people, but I don't think they make a good couple. For the first half of the novel, they're both using each other as distractions for the hardships they're enduring in their life. Then they "fall in love," but I think they're still leaning on each other too much. I think that a healthy relationship has balance.
I also think a healthy relationship is based on trust and honesty, but Kate sure doesn't think so, because she doesn't tell Aidan about her diabetes until it's almost too late. Kate and Aidan both struggle with this, but they need to realize that they're not the only ones with problems in their lives. They're a bit selfish like that, and they didn't appeal to me as much as I would've liked them too.
Also, the split POVs weren't working for me. It was better than some novels that I didn't like that had split POVs, but it still wasn't done amazingly. Sometimes I found myself in Kate's POV, wishing I was in Aidan's and vice versa. It should've just been in Kate's or just in Aidan's. (Aidan's, preferably, because he was dealing with a lot, and it would've made a powerful YA novel.)
Lastly, the cover image and the title have nothing to do with the book. For the cover, they never go to a beach. Kate passes out before they get there. For the title, it wasn't even summer in the book. It was during the school year. They thought about summer, but it was never really summer.
Kate and Aidan are rough around the edges as characters, and they didn't work well together as a couple, because they were essentially using each other the entire time even after they thought they fell in love. This book needs a copy editor, because the use of Aidan/Aiden was annoying, and the sentence structure in many of the sentences wasn't great. Overall, this book was enjoyable, and readers who aren't critical will enjoy it for sure.
It's extremely difficult for me to review this book for two reasons: one, I enjoyed this, but there were problems, and two, I'm a critical reader, and that plays a huge role in my overall rating of a particular book. On one hand, I had fun reading this book, and it was an enjoyable read, but on the other hand, there were multiple things that annoyed me about The Summer I Found You, making me not want to give it a higher rating than two and a half stars.
The first thing I need to get of my chest: Is Aidan's name spelled Aidan or Aiden? Throughout the book, there were constant mishaps where both spellings of the name were used. This really irritates me. I think an author should know the name that they chose for their character, especially if said character is the first thing mentioned in the acknowledgments at the end of the book. Also, the overall grammar in this book was just downright bad. Not unbearable, but not good. I understand that this is an ARC, but I haven't read an ARC yet with so many grammatical errors as this one.
But even though the grammar was bad and the author couldn't decide what way to spell her love interest's name, I thought the book was fun and easy to read. At the time, I was simply looking for something cute and light, and this book is definitely that. This is where my next problem comes in.
This book isn't supposed to be cute and light. The Summer I Found You is dealing with a wounded veteran who lost a limb and a girl who's suffering from a breakup and diabetes. (Is it just me, but don't you think Aidan's circumstances are just a little bit more severe than Kate's? The only reason diabetes is a big deal for Kate is because she never keeps track of her carb intake, and she doesn't take her shots like she's supposed to! And everyone gets dumped. Kate should get used to that if she's only seventeen.) There are some serious issues being dealt with in this book, I think, and in my opinion, The Summer I Found You just sort of glazed over them.
The characters weren't amazing, but they were normal. They're what one expects from a contemporary novel, to be honest. Kate and Aidan aren't exceptional or anything, but they're entertaining. The thing with those two is that they're okay as separate people, but I don't think they make a good couple. For the first half of the novel, they're both using each other as distractions for the hardships they're enduring in their life. Then they "fall in love," but I think they're still leaning on each other too much. I think that a healthy relationship has balance.
I also think a healthy relationship is based on trust and honesty, but Kate sure doesn't think so, because she doesn't tell Aidan about her diabetes until it's almost too late. Kate and Aidan both struggle with this, but they need to realize that they're not the only ones with problems in their lives. They're a bit selfish like that, and they didn't appeal to me as much as I would've liked them too.
Also, the split POVs weren't working for me. It was better than some novels that I didn't like that had split POVs, but it still wasn't done amazingly. Sometimes I found myself in Kate's POV, wishing I was in Aidan's and vice versa. It should've just been in Kate's or just in Aidan's. (Aidan's, preferably, because he was dealing with a lot, and it would've made a powerful YA novel.)
Lastly, the cover image and the title have nothing to do with the book. For the cover, they never go to a beach. Kate passes out before they get there. For the title, it wasn't even summer in the book. It was during the school year. They thought about summer, but it was never really summer.
This is a great review Tori! You definitely nailed some of my feelings about this book on the head that I wasn't able to explain in my own review.
ReplyDeleteI read your review on Goodreads! I thought you got some good points, like the title and cover. I never really thought about it until someone mentioned it, and I was like, "You know what? You're absolutely correct. They do not match." c:
DeleteAh, I definitely see your problem, Tori. I picture this as one of those deep, heart-wrenching books that'll make you cry rivers and honestly I can't see it becoming a light read. Based on the synopsis, I'm not sure if I'll like the characters as a couple, either. And how you mentioned the title and cover being unrelated--I never notice those things. Maybe I should try taking note of those in my future reads.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review, Tori! :D
Aimee @ Read by the Undead
Yes, it's very light. The worst aspect of Kate's diabetes is that she doesn't acknowledge it, and Aidan's night terrors as a wounded soldier are barely there. I desperately wish that the subjects would've been elaborated on more. It would've made it a lot more moving for me.
DeleteAnd ah, I love titles and covers, so I always think about this. I don't usually mention them in reviews unless something significant catches my eye--like the title and cover not matching the story. xD
Thank you!